Chris Parkin of Columbia River was the top vote-getter, and eight more players potentially could be playing in Yakima in June

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

RIDGEFIELD — A year ago, the lights went out at a specific time, just as players were saying their goodbyes on the field soon after their doubleheader.

The lights weren’t even necessary this year.

Pitching ruled at the Clark County Senior All-Star Baseball series Tuesday at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex.

The “American League” team of stars won 2-0 in one game, while the “National League” took the other game 1-0. The two games ended around 8 p.m. Coaches were stunned to be leaving the field so soon.

Jett Hamilton of Mountain View, who had two hits in one game, and Andrew Miller of Camas, who threw three shutout innings, were named the series MVPs. The MVP awards, including a scholarship from the Evergreen Baseball Umpires Association, are named in honor of U.S. Army Cpl. Jeremiah Jewel Johnson. A 2001 Prairie High School graduate and baseball standout, Johnson died while serving in Iraq in 2007.

This event features the top seniors from Clark County high school baseball teams and is always played the week after the high school season concludes. This year’s game featured state champions, too. Columbia River claimed the Class 2A state title on Saturday.

This series is also a feeder game into the Washington All State Baseball Games, to be played June 22 and 23 in Yakima. 

After Tuesday’s games in Ridgefield, coaches gathered to nominate their best available players, athletes who are able to play in Yakima, representing Clark County. Then the coaches vote. The players earned these votes based on their accomplishments during the season.

This year, coaches expect the top five vote-getters to go to Yakima. The next four players could be invited to Yakima on an as-needed basis, to be determined by game organizers.

This is the list, in order of votes, for the Clark County representatives to the 2024 Washington All State Baseball Games:

Chris Parkin, Columbia River
Andrew Miller, Camas
Zach Ziebell, Columbia River
Nate Merritt, Prairie
Chanz Flores, Hudson’s Bay
Smith Stimmel, La Center
Jett Hamilton, Mountain View Rocco Wright, Ridgefield
Gavin Poffenroth, Skyview